Connector for laundry rack

ABSTRACT

A collapsible laundry rack is provided wherein a plurality of cross members for hanging clothes may be attached to first and second scissor structures via a plurality of tab connectors and socket connectors. In particular, the distal ends of the cross members may be attached to the socket connector which is selectively removable from tab connectors attached to corresponding points of the first and second scissor structures. A socket portion of the socket connector may be aligned to a tab portion of the tab connector. Release levers formed on the tab portion may be inserted into the socket until retention members of the tab portion engage cam edges of the socket portion. To remove the tabs from the socket, the release levers may be inwardly deflected to deflect the retention members inwardly to release the retention members from the cam edges. Alternatively, the tab connectors may be attached to distal ends of the cross members. Also, the socket connectors may be attached to corresponding points of the first and second scissor structures.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), ofapplication Ser. No. 60/782,214, filed Mar. 14, 2006, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to laundry drying racks, andmore particularly to collapsible laundry drying racks.

Conventional laundry drying racks may be used to dry laundered itemswhen the laundered items are too delicate to be placed in an electricdryer because the laundered items may shrink when exposed to excessiveheat. Laundry drying racks may also be used to temporarily store clothesduring ironing tasks. For example, a user may place a plurality ofironed shirt on the laundry rack to prevent the ironed shirts fromwrinkling as would occur if the ironed shirts were stacked upon eachother.

In order to minimize the price of the laundry drying rack to an endconsumer, the laundry rack may be sold, packaged and shipped in apartially disassembled state. The end consumer or user would finishassembly of the laundry rack upon purchase and receipt of the laundryrack. This permits the laundry drying rack manufacturer to shift thecost of manufacturing the laundry drying rack to the end consumerthereby lowering the price of the laundry drying rack to the endconsumer at the retail level. Further, packaging and shipping thelaundry drying rack in the partially disassembled state reduces the sizeof the shipping package of the laundry drying rack thereby reducing thecost to ship the laundry drying rack from the manufacturer to the retailstore or the end consumer. Unfortunately, conventional laundry dryingracks, frequently comprise numerous components which makes assemblydifficult and time consuming. Further, use of fasteners for the assemblymay further require tools for the attachment thereof. Accordingly, itmay be unfeasible to shift the cost of assembly to the end consumer.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved laundry dryingrack.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The laundry rack discussed herein addresses the problems identifiedabove, discussed herein and those that are known in the art.

The laundry rack may be collapsible from an upright position to a foldedposition. In the upright position, the laundry rack may have a pluralityof cross members spread apart such that a user may hang clothes for airdrying the same. In the folded position, the laundry rack has a compactconfiguration for storage and/or shipment. The laundry rack may comprisea first scissor structure and a second scissor structure. The crossmembers may be disposed therebetween in parallel relationship andattached to the first and second scissor structures.

The cross members may be attached to the first and second scissorstructures via tab connectors and socket connectors. In a firstembodiment of the laundry rack, the tab connectors may be attached todistal ends of the cross members. Also, the socket connectors may beattached to the first and second scissor structures at mutuallycorresponding locations. The tab connector is selectively removable fromthe socket connector. In particular, the tab connector may comprise atab portion having release levers formed with retention members. Whenthe release levers are inwardly pressed together, the retention membersare also inwardly deflected.

The socket connector may have a socket portion having a through hole.The through hole is sized and configured to receive the tab portion ofthe tab connector. The sidewall of the socket portion is also formedwith a U-shaped cut out to permit the cross member to extend from thetab portion and through the U-shaped cut out.

To engage the socket connector to the tab connector, the tab portion isinserted into a gate of the through-hole of the socket portion with theretention members pointed toward the through hole. As the tab portionproceeds through the through hole, retention members of the tab portiondeflect inwardly due to the inner surface of the through hole. Also, thecross member may be received into the U shaped cut out. When the tabportion is fully inserted into the through hole, the retention membersengage cam edges of the socket portion preventing removal of the tabportion from the socket portion. Also, the cross member is received intothe U shaped cut out preventing the tab portion from slipping out of thethrough hole at an exit thereof. At this point, the tab connector isconnected to the socket connector and may be removed only by depressingthe release levers. To remove the tab portion from the socket portion,the release levers are deflected inwardly which also deflects theretention members inwardly to disengage the retention members from thecam edges. The user may then remove the tab portion from the socketportion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a laundry rack inan expanded position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the laundry rack of FIG. 1 in a foldedposition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper rack portion connected to alocking cross member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a disassembled view of the laundry rack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an unassembled laundry rack of FIG. 1illustrating a first step of engaging the locking cross member to firstand second scissor structures;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the unassembled laundry rack of FIG. 1illustrating a second step of connecting cross members to legs of anupper rack portion;

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of the laundry rack of FIG. 1 illustratinga third step of connecting the cross members to the first and secondscissor structures;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a tab connectoraligned to a socket connector with release levers of the tab connectordirected toward a socket or through hole of the socket connector;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the tabconnector engaged to the socket connector;

FIG. 6C is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the engagedsocket connector and tab connector wherein fingers depress the releaselevers to prepare disengagement of the tab connector from the socketconnector;

FIG. 6D is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the tabconnector disengaged from the socket connector;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the cross member, tab connector, socketconnector, leg and screw of the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the socketconnector;

FIG. 9 is a second embodiment of the laundry rack illustrating a tabconnector attached to a leg of the first or second scissor structuresand a socket connector attached to a cross member;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the cross member, socket connector, tabconnector, leg and screw of the second embodiment; and

FIG. 10A is a side view of the socket connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As a preliminary matter, references to upper, lower, right, left,forward and rear are for convenience and are not meant to limit thescope of the aspects of the laundry rack.

Referring now to the drawings which are for the purposes of illustrationand not for the purposes of limiting the laundry rack 10 which will bedescribed herein, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a laundry rack 10which is collapsible into a folded position (See FIG. 2) and expandableto an upright position (See FIG. 1). Cross members 12 are disposed apartfrom each other such that laundry (e.g., shirts, pants, etc.) may behung over the cross members 12 for air drying. After the clothes areair-dried, the user may remove the clothes and traverse the laundry rack10 to the folded position (See FIG. 2) for compact storage. The laundryrack 10 provides a convenient mode of storage by being collapsible tothe folded position so as to occupy a minimal amount of space. Thefolded laundry rack may then be stored between objects, in smallcrevices or under the bed.

The laundry rack 10 may comprise a first scissor structure 14 and asecond scissor structure 16 (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 4). Preferably, thefirst scissor structure 14 has a mirror configuration compared to thesecond scissor structure 16. Also, the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 work in conjunction with each other such that thelaundry rack 10 may be traversed between the expanded position and thefolded position. The cross members 12 are attached to the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16 at mutual spatial reference points onthe first and second scissor structures 14, 16 such that the crossmembers 12 are parallel with respect to each other. For example, thefirst and second scissor structures 14, 16 along with the cross members12 may define an upper rack portion 18. The upper rack portion 18 mayhave a first leg 20 and a second leg 22 disposed parallel to the firstleg 20. The upper rack portion 18 may have three cross members 12disposed between the first and second legs 20, 22 and attached thereto.The first cross member 12 may be interposed between the first and secondlegs 20, 22 and attached at the right distal ends of the first andsecond legs 20, 22. The second cross member 12 may be offset to the leftof the first cross member 12 approximately one-third of a length of thelegs 20, 22. The third cross member 12 may be offset from the secondcross member 12 in a similar manner that the second cross member 12 isoffset from the first cross member 12. Accordingly, preferably, thecross members 12 are attached to mutual corresponding points on thefirst and second legs 20, 22 such that the cross members 12 are parallelwith respect to each other. More broadly, the cross members 12 may beattached to corresponding points on the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 such that the cross members 12 are parallel withrespect to each other.

As stated above, the laundry rack 10 is traversable between the foldedposition and the expanded position. To retain the laundry rack 10 in theexpanded position, the upper rack portion 18 is selectively engageableto a locking cross member 12 a attached to the upper left most corner ofthe first and second scissor structures 14, 16. When the laundry rack 10is traversed to the expanded position, the upper rack portion 18 may beengaged to the locking cross member 12 a. In this manner, upper distalends of the first and second scissor structures 14, 16 are preventedfrom expanding away or contracting toward each other. Hence, the laundryrack 10 remains in the expanded position. To collapse the laundry rack10, the upper rack portion 18 is disengaged from the locking crossmember 12 a. The laundry rack 10 may then be pushed down toward theground to traverse the laundry rack 10 to the folded position.

The upper rack portion 18 may be locked onto the locking cross member 12a, as shown in FIG. 3. In particular, the upper rack portion 18 may beformed with an undercut groove 24 which surrounds or receives thelocking cross member 12 a. Once the undercut groove 24 receives thelocking cross member 12 a, a clasp 26 may be pivoted under the lockingcross member 12 a. The clasp 26 may be biased toward the closed positionto retain the locking cross member 12 a in the undercut groove 24.Alternatively, the clasp 26 may have an interference fit with thelocking cross member 12 a to retain the clasp 26 in the closed position(shown in solid lines) and the locking cross member 12 a in the undercutgroove 24. To remove the upper rack portion 18 from the locking crossmember 12 a, the clasp 26 may be traversed to an open position (shown indashed lines) such that the upper rack portion 18 may be pivoted up andaway from the locking cross member 12 a, as shown by arrow 28 in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the laundry rack 10 of FIG. 1 may be provided to theuser in a disassembled state to further reduce the storage volume of thelaundry rack 10 compared to the folded position of the laundry rack 10.Also, the laundry rack 10 may be provided (i.e., sold, packaged andshipped) to the user in the disassembled state to reduce the price ofthe laundry rack 10 to the user. Providing the laundry rack 10 to theuser or consumer in the disassembled state may serve two purposes.First, the cost to ship or transport the disassembled laundry rack 10 isless compared to the cost to ship the folded and assembled laundry rack10 because the disassembled laundry rack 10 is smaller volumetricallycompared to the laundry rack 10 in the folded position. Second, themanufacturer shifts a portion of the laundry rack's manufacturing costto the consumer thereby reducing the cost and price of the laundry rack10 because the consumer performs the task of completing assembly of thelaundry rack 10.

Moreover, the laundry rack 10 may be provided as a kit containing thefirst scissor structure 14, the second scissor structure 16 and aplurality of cross members 12 which may be selectively attachable to thefirst and second scissor structures 14, 16. To assemble the laundry rack10, the user may attach the locking cross member 12 a (see FIG. 4) tothe first and second scissor structures 14, 16 at the upper left distalportions of the first and second scissor structures 14, 16 (see FIG. 1).The first and second legs 20, 22 of the upper rack portion 18 may beengaged to the locking cross member 12 a, as shown in FIG. 5A. At thispoint, the first and second scissor structures 14, 16 are expanded andlocked because the first and second legs 20, 22 of the upper rackportion 18 is engaged to the locking cross member 12 a. Thereafter, thecross members 12 may be attached to the first and second legs 20, 22 ofthe upper rack portion 18, as shown in FIG. 5B. The remaining crossmembers 12 may then be attached to the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 at pre-determined corresponding locations about thefirst and second scissor structures 14, 16, as shown in FIG. 5C.

In a first embodiment, the cross members 12 are attachable to the firstand second scissor structures 14, 16 via a set of tab connector 30 andsocket connector 32. The tab connector 30 is more particularly shown inFIGS. 6A and 7. The tab connector 30 may have a post 34 which extendsperpendicularly from a tab portion 36 of the tab connector 30. Thedistal ends of the cross members 12 may each have a central aperture 38sized and configured to receive the post 34 of the tab connector 30. Thepost 34 of the tab connector 30 may be inserted into the centralaperture 38 at the distal ends of the cross members 12. When the post 34is fully inserted into the distal end of the cross member 12, anoutwardly biased detent 40 may be received into a receiving aperture 42formed through the wall 44 of the cross member 12. This axially androtationally locks the tab connector 30 to the cross member 12 androtationally locks the tab connector 30 to the cross member 12.

The socket connectors 32 may be attached to the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16. Also, the tab connectors 30 may be engaged to andremoved from the socket connectors 32 to engage or remove the crossmembers 12 from the scissor structures 14, 16, as shown in FIGS. 6A-6D.In particular, the tab connector 30, and more particularly, the tabportion 36 may have opposed release levers 46 which are outwardly biasedand have retention members 48 formed at an outer periphery thereof.Distal ends of the opposed release levers 46 may have finger platforms50 which are graspable by the human hand to deflect the retentionmembers 48 inwardly, which as will be discussed further below, to removethe tab connector 30 from the socket connector 32. With the cross member12 in hand, the user may align the tab connector 30 to the socketconnector 32 with the opposed release levers 46 directed toward a socket52 (e.g., through hole) of the socket connector 32, as shown in FIGS. 6Aand 7. The tab portion 36 is then inserted into the socket 52 throughits gate 54 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). As the tab portion 36 proceeds throughthe socket 52, the release levers 46 are slightly inwardly deflectedbecause a distance between the inner surfaces 56 of the socket orthrough hole 52 is narrower compared to a distance between the retentionmembers 48 when release levers 46 are released. When the tab portion 36is fully inserted into the socket 52, the retention members 48 engagecam edges 58 of the socket connector 32, as shown in FIG. 6B. At thispoint, the retention members 48 deflect outwardly to lock the tabconnector 30 to the socket connector 32. To remove the cross member 12from the scissor structures 14, 16, the user may depress the releaselevers 46 together which deflects the retention members 48 inwardly toavoid contact between the retention members 48 and the cam edges 58, asshown in FIG. 6C. The tab portion 36 may then be slid out of the socket52 of the socket connector 32, as shown in FIG. 6D.

The retention members 48 may have a hook configuration, as shown inFIGS. 6A and 9. Each of the retention members 48 may be pointed awayfrom each other. The cam edges 58 may be sized and configured to catchor retain a hook portion of the retention members 48. In this manner,when the tab portion 36 is fully inserted into the through hole orsocket 52 of the socket connector 32, the hook portions of the retentionmember 48 catch the cam edges 58 to attach the tab connector 30 and thesocket connector 32. Although the retention member 48 has been describedas having a hook configuration, it is also contemplated that theretention member 48 may have other configurations such as tapered, Jshaped, etc. with corresponding shaped cam edges which retain or catchthe retention member when the tab portion 36 is fully inserted into thesocket 52.

The socket connectors 32 may be attached to the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 at pre-determined corresponding location. As shown inFIGS. 7 and 8, the socket connector 32 may have a socket portion 60 anda post portion 62. The post portion 62 is insertable into acorresponding aperture 64 formed through legs of the first and secondscissor structures 14, 16. Once the post 62 is fully inserted into theaperture 64, a screw 66 may be screwed into the post 62 of the socketconnector 32 to lock the socket connector 32 to the leg. A detent 68having a nub configuration formed on a medial surface of the socketportion 60 may be received into a detent aperture 70 formed on the innersurface of the legs. This fixes the rotational movement of the socketconnector 32 to the legs such that the socket connectors 32 aregenerally aligned (see FIG. 5C) to the tab connectors 30 and the crossmembers 12 are easily engageable to the legs of the first and secondscissor structures 14, 16. A throat distance 72 of the post portion 62may be dependent upon the thickness of the leg. For example, in theupper rack portion 18, the two middle socket connectors may have athroat distance 72 which is equal to or slightly less than the thicknessof the leg 20, 22. In this manner, the screw 66 may be screwed onto thepost portion 62 and tightened onto the leg 20, 22. In contrast, thethroat distance 72 of the socket connector 32 at the right-most distalends of the legs 20, 22 of the upper rack portion 18 may be longer thana thickness of the two legs. The post portion 62 may also be sized andconfigured to proceed through two aligned holes of the legs. A screw 66may then be screwed onto the post portion 62 to tightly secure thesocket connector 32 to the scissor structure 14, 16. Since the postportion 62 is longer than the thickness of the two legs, the screw 66 istorqued onto the post portion 62 and not on the legs themselves.Accordingly, there is a loose fit between the legs, and the legs arepivotable with respect to each other.

An optional sliding washer may be fitted between the legs at eachlinkage joint 74 which permit rotational movement therebetween despitethe existence of a compressive force caused by the socket portion 60 andthe head of the screw 66. At every linkage joint 74 of the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16, the sliding washer may be interposedbetween the legs, and the post portion 62 may be inserted into alignedholes. In this alternative configuration, the throat distance 72 of thepost portion 62 of the socket connector 32 may be slightly smallercompared to the sum of the thicknesses of the two legs and the slidingwasher. When the screw 66 is tightened onto the post portion 62, thescrew 66 may be torqued onto the legs. Fortunately, the sliding washerpermits rotational movement between the two legs despite the compressiveforce of the screw 66 and the post portion 62.

Alternatively, in a second embodiment of the laundry rack shown in FIGS.9, 10 and 10A, the cross members 102 may be attached to the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16 via tab connectors 104 and socketconnectors 106 except that the tab connectors 104 are attached to thelegs 138 of the first and second scissor structures 14, 16 and thesocket connectors 106 are attached to distal ends of the cross members102. In this second embodiment, the socket connector 106 may have asocket portion 108 and a post portion 110. The post portion 110 isinsertable into the central aperture 112 formed at the distal ends ofthe cross members 102. The post portion 110 of the socket connector 106may be formed with a detent 114 which is received into the receiving ordetent aperture 116 of the cross member 102. In particular, the postportion 110 of the socket connector 106 may be inserted into the centralaperture 112 formed in the distal end of the cross member 102. When thesocket portion 108 is fully inserted into the central aperture 112 ofthe cross member 102, the detent 114 may spring or deflect outwardlyinto the receiving or detent aperture 116. This locks the axial positionand the angular orientation of the socket connector 106 with respect tothe cross member 102. The socket portion 108 may be formed with thethrough hole 118 and the U shaped cut out section 120 (see FIG. 10A).The U shaped cut out 76 of the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 8.However, in this second embodiment, the U shaped cut out section 120 issized and configured to receive a spacer 122 of the tab connector 10, aswill be discussed further below.

The tab connector 104 may be connected to the legs of the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16 in a similar manner that the socketconnectors 32 discussed above in relation to the first embodiment areconnected to the legs.

The tab connector 104 may have a tab portion 124, a spacer 122, a collar126, and a post portion 128. The collar 126 and the tab portion 124 maybe coaxially aligned to each other and connected to each other via aspacer 122. The collar 126 may define a lateral side 130 and a medialside 132. The spacer, 122 may be connected to the collar 126 on itslateral side 130, and the tab portion 124 may be connected to the spacer122 on the opposite side of the collar 126. The post portion 110 may becoaxially aligned to the collar 126 and connected to the collar 126 onthe medial side 132. The tab portion 124, spacer 122, collar 126 andpost portion 110 may be formed of a unitary material.

To connect the tab connectors 104 to the legs of the first and secondscissor structures 14, 16, the post portions 110 of the tab connectors104 are inserted into apertures 134 formed in the legs of the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16. For example, to connect the tabconnector 104 to the first and second legs 20, 22 of the upper rackportion 18, the post portion 110 is inserted into the aperture 134formed in the leg until the collar 126 contacts the leg to limit theinsertion distance of the post portion 110 into the aperture 134. Ascrew 136 is then threaded onto internal threads formed in the postportion 110 to lock the axial location of the tab connector with respectto the leg. As discussed above in the first embodiment, a throatdistance 72 of the post portion 62 may be shorter compared to thethickness of the leg to permit the screw 66 to clamp the tab connector30 down on the leg. The medial side of the collar may have a nub ordetent 68 which is received into a detent aperture 70 formed on the legwhen the collar contacts the leg or when the post portion 62 is insertedinto the aperture 64. This locks the rotational movement of the tabconnector 30 with respect to the leg. When the tab connectors 30 jointwo legs at a linkage joint 74, the throat distance 72 of the postportion 62 may be slightly longer than the thickness of the legs topermit the legs of the first and second scissor structures 14, 16 topivot with respect to each other. A sliding washer may be interposedbetween two legs to promote pivotal motion of the legs, as discussed inrelation to the first embodiment. The tab connectors 30 may be attachedto the first and second scissor structures 14, 16 at correspondinglocations throughout the entire first and second scissor structures 14,16.

As in the first embodiment, the second embodiment of the laundry rack 10may be provided to the user in a disassembled state to reduce thestorage volume of the laundry rack 10 thereby reducing transportationcosts to the consumer and to shift a portion of the laundry racksmanufacturing cost to the consumer thereby reducing the price of thelaundry rack.

The laundry rack 10 may be provided to the consumer as a kit containingthe first scissor structure 14, the second scissor structure 16 and aplurality of cross-members 102 which may selectively attachable to thefirst and second scissor structures 14, 16. In this second embodiment,the socket connectors 106 are connected to distal ends of the crossmembers 102 and tab connectors 104 are connected to the first and secondscissor structures 14, 16. To assemble the laundry rack 10, the user mayattach the locking cross member 12 to the upper left distal portions ofthe first and second scissor structures 14, 16. In particular, the useraligns the gate 146 of the through hole 118 of the socket portion 108toward the retention members 148 of the tab portion 124. The retentionmembers 148 of the second embodiment may have a similar configuration asthe retention members 48 of the first embodiment. The socket portion 108is then pushed onto the tab portion 124 thereby traversing the tabportion 124 into the through hole 118 of the socket portion 108. As thetab portion 124 is being traversed through the through hole 118, theretention members 148 are inwardly deflected by inner surfaces of thethrough hole 118. Also, the retention members 148 engage the cam edges150 of the socket portion 108 to prevent removal of the socket portion108 from the tab portion 124 when the tab portion 124 is fully insertedinto the socket 118. Also, the spacer 122 of the tab connector 104 isreceived into the U-shaped cutout 120 of the socket portion 108. Whenthe retention members 148 engage the cam edges 150, the spacer 122 isfully received into the U-shaped cutout 120. The U-shaped cutout 120 andthe spacer 122 permit the sidewall of the socket portion 108 to bereceived between the collar 126 and the tab portion 124 when the socketconnector 106 is fully engaged to the tab connector 104.

With the locking cross member 12 a attached to the first and secondscissor structures 14, 16, the first and second legs 20, 22 of the upperrack portion 18 may be engaged to the locking cross member 12 a, asshown in FIG. 5 a. At this point, the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 are expanded with the first and second legs 20, 22 ofthe upper rack portion 18 engaged to the locking cross member 12 a.Thereafter, the cross members 102 may be attached to the first andsecond legs 20, 22 of the upper rack portion 18, as shown in FIG. 5 b inthe same manner that the locking cross member 12 a is attached to thefirst and second legs 20, 22 of the upper rack portion 18 discussedabove. The remaining members may then be attached to the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16 at pre-determined correspondinglocations about the first and second scissor structures 14, 16, as shownin FIG. 5 c.

The laundry rack 10 is now in the expanded position or upright position.To traverse the laundry rack 10 to the folded position, the upper rackportion 18 is disengaged from the locking cross member 12 a. The firstand second scissor structures 14, 16 are pushed downward to fold thefirst and second scissor structures 14, 16 upon each other. The upperrack portion 18 is then laid against the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 and the laundry rack 10 is now traversed to the foldedposition.

The cross members 102 may be removed from the first and second scissorstructures 14, 16 in the following manner. First, the release levers ofthe tab portion are inwardly deflected by pressing finger platformstogether. When the release levers are inwardly deflected, retentionmembers 148 of the tab portion 124 are also inwardly deflected whichdisengage the retention members 148 from the cam edges 150. The tabportion 124 may then be slipped out of the socket portion 108 to removethe cross members 102 from the first and second scissor structures 14,16.

In both the first and second embodiments, the legs of the first andsecond scissor structures 14, 16 are preferably between about six (6)inches and thirty-six (36) inches in length, and more preferably thelegs are about nineteen (19) inches in length, but the legs may also belonger or shorter. The legs preferably have a width of about ⅞ of aninch and a height of about ½ of an inch, but the members may have anydesired configuration and dimensions depending, for example, upon thetype of material used to construct the legs and the intended use of thelaundry rack 10.

The legs 20, 22 of the upper rack portion 18 are preferably aboutfourteen (14) inches in height and the legs have a generally C-shapedcross section with a width of about ⅞ of an inch and a length of about ½of an inch, but the legs may have different configurations anddimensions.

The cross members 12, 102 which interconnect the first and secondscissor structures 14, 16 are preferably between about twelve (12)inches and sixty (60) inches in height and more preferably abouttwenty-nine (29) inches in height, but the cross members 12, 102 may belonger or shorter. The cross members 12, 102 are preferably plastictubes with walls of about 1/16 of an inch thick and the cross members12, 102 have an outside diameter of about ⅜ of an inch, but the crossmembers 12, 102 may have any desired configuration and size. The crossmembers 12, 102 are preferably hollow tubes for decreased weight, butthe cross members 12, 102 may also be solid for increased strength.Additionally, the cross members 12, 102 may have a generally smoothcylindrical exterior surface to prevent laundry from snagging orcatching on the cross members 12, 102. Alternatively, the cross members12, 102 may have any desired shape, such as square or rectangular, andthe cross members 12, 102 may be constructed from any materials such aswood or metal. The cross members 12, 102 may also include coating orlayer of material, for example, to help prevent laundry from catching orsnagging on the cross members 12, 102.

The components of the laundry rack 10 are preferably constructed fromplastic, and more preferably from a thermal plastic resin such aspolyvinyl chloride (PVC), but other types of plastic such aspolyethylene, polypropylene or ABS may also be used. The plasticcomponents are preferably designed to withstand temperatures of over120° F. so that the laundry rack 10 does not melt or deform when usedoutdoors and the plastic is preferably treated by known means to resistdamage from the sun, including protection from ultra violet (UV) andinfrared radiation. Advantageously, the plastic components increase thelife expectancy of the laundry rack 10 and the rack 10 may be used bothindoors and outdoors. It will be understood that the laundry rack 10 canalso be constructed from other types of plastics and other materialssuch as metals or composites, or wood.

The components of the laundry rack 10, including the cross members 12,102, first and second scissor structures 14, 16 desirably fit into asmall bag or enclosure for shipping and storage. Because the unassembledor partially assembled stand 10 fits within a small, compact bag orenclosure, this significantly reduces shipping, transportation andstorage costs.

Although the laundry rack 10 discussed above has four (4) cross members12, 102 forming the upper rack portion 18 and three (3) cross members12, 102 forming the lower racks, it is also contemplated that the tabconnectors 30, 104 and socket connectors 32, 106 may be disposed on thelegs and the cross members 12, 102 in other configurations. For example,the lower racks and the upper rack 18 may have two (2) or more crossmembers 12, 102.

The first and second scissor structures 14, 16 may each comprise aplurality of legs which are arranged to expand or contract when thelaundry rack 10 is traversed between the upright position and the foldedposition, respectively. In the upright position, the legs may have agenerally X-shaped configuration, but the legs may also be aligned atother angles. Although not shown in the accompanying drawings, in thefolded position, the legs are placed generally parallel or adjacent toeach other. It will be understood that other types of legs, such asstraight, curved, telescoping, etc., may be used with the laundry rack10.

In an aspect of the tab connectors and the socket connectors, the samemay be employed in other types of structures such as a shoe rack, table,night stand, laundry basket, and the like. By way of example and notlimitation, with respect to the shoe rack, the same may have a firstsidewall structure and a second sidewall structure. The first and secondsidewall structures may have a scissor configuration similar to thefirst and second embodiments of the laundry rack. Alternatively, thefirst and second sidewall structures may have a flat rigid construction.The first and second sidewall structures may have a plurality of tabconnectors attached thereto. The tab connectors attached to the firstsidewall structure may be aligned to the tab connectors attached to thesecond sidewall structure. A cross member having socket connectorsattached to distal ends of the cross member may be removeably engageableto the first and second sidewall structures via the tab connectors andthe socket connectors.

The tab connectors may be positioned on the first and second sidewallstructures such that the cross members form shoe support platforms sizedand configured to receive one or more pairs of shoes. In particular, thecross members may form one or more levels or shelves (i.e., shoe supportplatform) or receiving the pairs of shoes. Each level may have a forwardcross member and a rear cross member. The rear cross member ispositioned to support the heel of the shoe. More preferably, the rearcross member is positioned such that the shoe's heel hooks onto the rearcross member. The forward cross member is positioned to support theoutsole of the shoe. Preferably, the forward cross member is positionedat a lower elevation compared to the rear cross member such that theshoe is tilted forward when heel of the shoe is hooked on the rear crossmember and outsole is rested on the forward cross member.

By way of example and not limitation, the shoe rack may have one levelor shoe support platform for storing pairs of shoes. In particular, theshoe rack may have first and second sidewall structures. Each side wallstructure may comprise a first leg and a second leg forming an Xconfiguration when spread open. The legs may define an upper distal endand a lower distal end. The legs may be pivotally joined to each otherabout a middle portion thereof defining a joint. The upper distal end ofthe first leg may be positioned at a higher elevation compared to theupper distal end of the second leg. A tab connector may be attached tothe upper distal ends of the first and second legs. A tab connector maybe attached to the first and second sidewall structures at the jointsthereof. A cross member may be attached to the tab connector attached atthe joints for stabilizing the shoe rack. An upper rack portion maypivot about the upper distal end of the second legs of the first andsecond sidewall structures. The upper rack portion may lock to the crossmember attached to the upper distal ends of the first legs therebyfixing the shoe rack in an erected position. At this point, the firstand second sidewall structures cannot expand or collapse due to theupper rack portion being locked to the cross member (i.e., locking crossmember). The cross member attached to the upper distal ends of the firstlegs of the first and second sidewall structures may be higher than thecross member attached to the upper distal ends of the second legs of thefirst and second sidewall structures. Alternatively, the cross memberattached to the upper distal ends of the first legs of the first andsecond sidewall structures may be level with the cross member attachedto the upper distal ends of the second legs of the first and secondsidewall structures in a similar manner compared to the first and secondembodiments of the laundry rack. The lower distal ends of the first andsecond legs may be level with each other such that the shoe rack may berested on the ground in a similar manner compared to the first andsecond embodiments of the laundry rack. The user may rest his/her shoeson the cross members by resting the heel of the shoe on the cross memberattached to the upper distal ends of the first legs and resting theoutsole on the cross member attached to the upper distal ends of thesecond legs.

It is also contemplated that the socket connectors may be attached tothe first and second sidewall structures, and the tab connectors may beattached to the cross members. The tab connectors and socket connectorsmay be attached to the cross members or the first and second sidewallstructures in a similar fashion discussed in relation to the first andsecond embodiments of the laundry rack.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with eachother and are not intended to be limited to the specific combinationdescribed herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited bythe illustrated embodiments.

1. A laundry drying rack for air drying clothes, the rack comprising: a)a first structure; b) a second structure; c) a socket connector attachedto the first and second structures, at least one of the socketconnectors defining a socket portion, the socket portion having athrough hole defining cam edges; d) a cross member sized and configuredto fit between the first and second structures; e) a tab connectorattached to the cross member, at least one of the tab connector defininga tab portion sized and configured to slide into the through hole of thesocket connector, the tab portion having retention members sized andconfigured to engage the cam edges to connect the tab connector to thesocket connector.
 2. The rack of claim 1 wherein the first and secondstructures have a scissor configuration.
 3. The rack of claim 1 whereinthe tab portions have release levers and the retention members areintegrally formed with the release levers.
 4. The rack of claim 3wherein the release levers further comprise finger platforms forinwardly deflecting the retention members and disengaging the retentionmembers and cam edges.
 5. The rack of claim 1 wherein the socketconnector has a detent formed thereon which is received into a detentdepression formed on the first and second scissor structures.
 6. Therack of claim 1 wherein a distance between the retention members whenrelaxed is wider compared to a distance between the cam edges.
 7. Therack of claim 5 wherein a distance between inner surfaces of the throughhole is narrower compared to the distance between the retention memberswhen relaxed.
 8. The rack of claim 1 wherein a post of the socketconnector extends through two legs of the first scissor structure so thetwo legs can rotate relative to each other about the post.
 9. The rackof claim 1 wherein the first and second scissor structures define anupper rack portion, the upper rack portion being removeably secureableto the cross member via a clasp.
 10. The rack of claim 1 wherein thefirst and second scissor structures define an upper rack portion, theupper rack portion being removeably secureable to the cross member viaan interference fit between an undercut groove of a leg of the upperrack portion and the cross member.
 11. The rack of claim 1 wherein thesocket connector defines a U shaped cutout for receiving a post of thetab connector when the tab connector is connected to the socketconnector.
 12. The rack of claim 1 further comprising a threaded lockingmember threadably engagable a post portion of the socket connector toconnect the socket connector to the first and scissor structure.
 13. Therack of claim 1 wherein the threaded locking member is a screw.
 14. Therack of claim 1 wherein a post of the tab connector has a post with adetent and the cross member has a central aperture for receiving thepost and a detent aperture for receiving the detent of the post, thepost being insertable into the central aperture and the detentreceivable into the detent aperture for connecting the tab connector tothe cross member.
 15. The rack of claim 1 wherein the retention membershave a hook configuration or a J shaped configuration.
 16. A laundrydrying rack for air drying clothes, the rack comprising: a) a firstscissor structure; b) a second scissor structure; c) a tab connectorattached to the first and second scissor structures, at least one of thetab connectors defining a tab portion with retention members; d) a crossmember sized and configured to fit between the first and second scissorstructures; e) a socket connector attached to the cross member, at leastone of the socket connector having a socket portion defining a throughhole, the through hole sized and configured to receive the tab portionand having cam edges sized and configured to receive the retentionmembers to connect the tab connector to the socket connector.
 17. Therack of claim 16 wherein the tab connector has a tab portion and a postportion interposed by a spacer and a collar.
 18. The rack of claim 17wherein the socket connector has a U shaped cutout which is receivedbetween the collar and the tab portion.
 19. The rack of claim 18 whereinthe spacer is received within the U shaped cutout of the socketconnector.
 20. An attachment device for connecting a first member to asecond member, the connector comprising: a. a tab connector attachableto the first member, the tab connector formed with retention members; b.a socket connector attachable to the second member, the socket connectorhaving a socket portion defining a through hole, the through hole sizedand configured to receive the tab portion and having cam edges sized andconfigured to receive the retention members to connect the first memberto the second member.
 21. The device of claim 20 wherein the retentionmembers have a hook configuration and the cam edges of the socketconnector are sized and configured to catch the retention members when atab portion of the tab connector is fully inserted into the through holeof the socket connector.
 22. The device of claim 20 further comprising ascrew attachable to a post portion of the tab connector for attachingthe tab connector to the first member.
 23. The device of claim 20further comprising a screw attachable to a post portion of the socketconnector for attaching the socket connector to the second member. 24.The device of claim 20 wherein the socket connector has a socketportion, the socket portion having a U shaped cutout for receiving apost portion of the tab connector.
 25. The device of claim 20 whereinthe retention members are integrally formed with release levers.
 26. Therack of claim 25 wherein the release levers further comprise fingerplatforms for inwardly deflecting the retention members and disengagingthe retention members and cam edges.